Mayor's carnival on the river

A 50-metre Chinese dragon will lead musicians, dancers and masqueraders with illuminated costumes and flaming torches from Victoria Embankment over Blackfriars Bridge and back to the National Theatre on Sunday night.

Organisers claim the vehicle-free parade is London's most exceptional, with its mix of performance, art and carnival.

The colourful half-mile troupe will leave a traffic-free Embankment at 6pm and arrive at the National Theatre around 9.30pm. The fireworks begin at 9.45pm.

Up to a million people are expected to descend on the area for the festivities.

The Thames Festival kicks off at noon on Saturday with the Feast on the Bridge, when Southwark Bridge will be shut to traffic and covered in trestle tables, food stalls and a stage.

Like a traditional harvest festival, the public will be encouraged to tuck into seasonal food such as pumpkin soup.

Festival founder and director Adrian Evans said: "In previous years we've found the extraordinary environment was very successful at brokering conversations between strangers who find themselves eating next to each other at the tables.

"The whole weekend has a wonderful, magical atmosphere. It's Londoners coming together to celebrate around the river. It reflects a huge variety of creativity and the strength of community in London."

Stages set up along the South Bank from City Hall to the London Eye will feature bands, choirs, workshops and opportunities to learn to dance, knit and star in a film.

Beside the Oxo Tower Korean dancers and chefs will be celebrating the New Moon Festival.

At The Scoop, by City Hall, an 850-strong children's choir will sing songs with a watery theme to raise awareness of the charity WaterAid.

And in Jubilee Gardens by the Eye a freerunning team will demonstrate their death-defying leaps and stunts on a 40fthigh course.

From 8-10pm on Saturday night at The Scoop a Venetian Carnival Ball will feature pierrots, burlesque, variety clowns, fire, frogmen, magic and harlequin dancers.

The Thames Festival, now in its 11th year, runs alongside the Great River Race on Saturday afternoon, when 300 teams in an assortment of craft row 22 miles from Ham House to Island Gardens.

There will be more river races on Sunday which will feature historic Thames watermen.

On both evenings fires will be lit on the foreshore outside the Globe.